CONTROVERSY
over the piece of land measuring 2,144 hectares located in the
Oldonyowasi Village at Engutukoit Ward of Arusha Rural District Council
may be amicably solved when surveyors from the Ministry of Lands and
Human Settlements Development descend into the area.
The
land is being contested between local villagers and the investor, Dr
Batilda Salha Buriani, a former Tanzanian ambassador to Kenya, who
reportedly bought the farm from Jodista Company Limited back in 2012,
but the residents claim that the estate belongs to the village since
colonial days.
As a result, the proposed luxury tented camp which was to be established in the area for tourism purpose, now hangs in limbo.
The
Arumeru District Commissioner (DC), Mr Jerry Muro said the only way to
end the conflict was for fresh land surveying to be conducted and
determine where the investor’s boundaries end and where the village area
starts.
He
warned the villagers against sabotaging legal investments or
trespassing into land belonging to other parties that have acquired the
area rightfully.
“Of
course with increasing population, the villagers need more areas for
grazing, the state will take care of that, but no person should invade
investors’ lands,” he said.
Speaking
to the villagers in an open air meeting at Oldonyowasi, DC Muro said
the government will dispatch surveyors to remap the area in order to
ensure that the investor occupies the right measurement of her land as
stipulated in her title deed, while the villagers should not encroach
the estate.
The
Head of Land and Natural Resources Department in Arusha-Rural Council,
Khafti Tarimo said the land’s title deed belongs to Dr Buriani, and that
initial land survey planted beacons that were later destroyed by
villagers.
On
her part, the investor, Dr Batilda Buriani, said she planned to
establish tented camps in the area as well as conserve the land for
tourism purposes.
“The project will also provide employment to local residents here as well as generate revenues for the government,” she added.
But
she claimed that the villagers have been uprooting beacons which
demarcate the estate and chasing away workers, thus making it difficult
for her firm to start development of the tourism property.
Village
Chairman, Mr Samuel Sakita Saruni, said he was aware that once the
government issues land for investments, there should be no problem, but
the villagers believed that the law permitted local villagers themselves
to enter into contracts directly with investors.
No comments :
Post a Comment